I-Pariss Sims, 1750-1833.

II-4. Abraham Simms (Sims), second son and fourth child of Pariss and Keziah Royster Sims of North Carolina and Giles County, Tenn., was born near Winston-Salem, N. C., in or about 1778--see Chapter Three, He settled in a section of Sumner County, Tenn., out of which Macon County was later formed. A file of "Early Marriages in Tennessee" in the State Historical Library at Nashville lists the marriage of Abraham Simms to Nancy Keen in Sumner County, March 13, 1816. Their first child, Paris Lindsey Simms, was born there Jan. 24, 1817. Most of this branch of the family has used two "MM" in the name down to the present generation.

A grandson of Abraham Simms, Neal Brown Simms of Lawrenceburg, Tenn., says in a letter to Rev. Paris Marion Simms, a nephew, in 1903:

"I am of the opinion that Robert W. Sims (12)--(see letter by him in Chapter Two) can give you more information than anyone of the name in this country. My grandfather was Abraham Simms . . . he was accidently killed when my father (Paris Lindsey Simms) was quite young . . . I remember my great uncle, Martin Simms (5), of Bedford County, who was grandfather's brother. I do not know of but two brothers that my father had. Uncle Frank (Francis Marion Simms) was a lawyer and a wagon-master in the Confederate Army. He went from this county (Lawrence) in an early day to Clarksville, Texas, and lived there till he died between 1868 and 1873 . . . Uncle Edmond was a Captain in the Federal Army . . . he was killed near the end of the Civil War in West Tennessee ... there were five girls in the family but I do not know anything about them . . . I wish I did know more about the family history."

In 1914 I talked with Neal Brown Simms about our family history. He told me that his great uncle, Martin Sims (5) rode a mule from Bedford County to Lawrence County, over 70 miles, to visit relatives when he was 88 years old. He also told me about the accidental death of his grandfather, Abraham Simms, who was killed by dirt caving in on him while working on a Government canal at Muscle Shoals, Ala., in 1834. The body was returned home to Sumner County for burial, money being borrowed by the family for, the purpose. Paris Lindsey Simms, the oldest son, then about 17, went to Muscle Shoals and worked out the money, $125, to pay the debt.

III-212. Paris Lindsey Simms, born in 1817-see record of his family below.
III-213. Francis Marion (Frank) Simms, probably born in 1819; wagon master in the Confederate Army during the Civil War; moved to Clarksville, Red River County, Texas in an early day; practiced law and had a family-some say five daughters.
III-214. Edmond (Edwin) Simms, born about 1821, was a Captain in the Federal Army and was killed in West Tennessee, near the end of the Civil War. He was married twice and had four children by his first wife-name unknown:

IV-215. Nancy Simms who died unmarried when she was about 20 years old.
IV-216. Mary Simms who married William Spears.
IV-217. John Simms who went to Texas in 1870-no further record.
IV-218. Columbus Simms who also went to Texas-no further record. The second wife of Edmond Simms (214) was a Clayton and they had a son:
IV-219. Newt Simms who was Trustee of Wayne County -some reports say he was also County Judge, at one time. Another son of this marriage is believed to have been Harrison Simms, grandfather of Thomas A. (Dad) Sims, 4-H Leader of the Alabama College of Agriculture, Auburn, for a number of years.

 

Paris Lindsey Simms (212), oldest child of Abraham and Nancy Keen Simms, was born in Sumner County, Tenn., Jan. 24, 1817. After the death of his father in 1834, the family moved from Sumner to Giles County where they had a farm on Big Creek. In December 1840 Paris married Margaret Turnbo of Maury County and purchased a farm on Anderson's Creek. In 1846 he moved to Missouri where the family stayed for only a short timethey didn't like the country. Returning to Tennessee, they purchased a large tract of land on Knob Creek in Lawrence County in what for many years was known as the Simms Ridge Community, less than 30 miles from the Sims Post Office Community on Indian Creek in Wayne County-see Chapter Two. He later sold this place to a son, Andrew Francis Simm,s, and moved to a farm four miles North of Lawrenceburg where he died Feb. 14, 1877, leaving 13 children. His wife, Margaret Turnbo Simms, died in July 1855 and he married Margaret McGlamery, Nov. 6, 1856. She died in March 1891. Children by his first marriage were:

IV-220. James Abraham Simms, born in 1841 -- see record of his family below.
IV-221. Andrew Francis Simms, born in 1843 -- see record of his family below.
IV-222. Joseph N. Simms, born April 22, 1844; died as a soldier in the Confederate Army.
IV-223. Mary Jane Simms, born March 29, 1846; died Sept. 5, 1928; married William Crews of Lawrence County.
IV-224. Nancy Felicia Simms, born Dec. 27, 1847; died March 17, 1921. She married Daniel Benjamin Crews in 1867. Children:

V- William Paris, James Thomas, Margaret Melisa, Ida Elizabeth, Andrew, Robert, Benjamin, John Gilmore, and Katie Belle Crews.

IV-225. Edmond Clayborne Simms, born in 1849-see record of his family at the end of this Chapter.
IV-226. Paris Wilson Simms, born Sept. 28, 1851; died in April 1899; married Belle Gray about 1885. Children:

V-227. Leslie Simms.
V-228. Robert Simms.
V-229. Chauncy Simms.

Paris W. Simms was a merchant in Lawrenceburg and after his death his widow, with her sons, moved to Dallas, Tex.
IV-230. Neal Brown Simms, born April 16, 1853, was a prominent merchant and a Republican leader in Lawrence County over a long period of years. He served two terms as Representative in the Tennessee Legislature and was Postmaster, County Clerk and Trustee of the county at various times. He died Oct. 5, 1918. He married Mattie Davenport, June 14, 1879. Children:

V-231. Tom Lindsey Simms, born April 4, 1882; married Margaret Marcum. Children:

VI-232. Martha Alice Simms, born Feb. 20, 1912.
VI-233. Tom Lindsey Sims, Jr., born May 7, 1913.

V-234. Mamie Matthews Simms, born March 6, 1884; died unmarried April 18, 1913.
V-235. Herbert McClnin Simms, born Sept. 24, 1886; married Catherine Dawson; lived in New Orleans and had one child:

VI-236. Margaret Simms, born in 1909.

V-237. Neil Brown Simms, Jr., born April 6, 1893; Captain in the Army, World War One; lawyer and a member of the State Legislature as a Democrat. No record of marriage or family, if any.
V-238. Dorothy Simms, born July 7, 1898.
V-239. Marjorie Simms, born Feb. 24, 1900.

 

IV-240. Kate Simms, horn July 31, 1858; married R. E. Gilliam. No children.
241. John Bell Simms, born Nov. 1859; died Nov. 1893; married Amanda Finch Davenport. He was a lawyer in Lawrenceburg. Children:

V-242. Carrie Leslie Simms who died in infancy.
V-243. Lutel Thomas Simms, born in 1889; married Luther Witherspoon.
V-244. Mary Alice Simms, born in 1890; married James Mitchell.

IV-245. Cornelia Ann Simms, born Aug. 25, 1861; married James J. Busby. Children:

V- Margaret Elizabeth, El Mine, James Frank, Fannie Augusta Busby.

IV-246. Julia Simms, born May 22, 1863; died Feb. 1930; married Frank Carroll of Lawrenceburg, and moved to Texas where they had a large family. She died in Dallas, Tex.
IV-247. Amy Frances Simnis married Frank Wilson and had a daughter:

V- Amy Wilson who married Daniel Wooster and lived in Los Angeles, Calif.

 

IV-220. James Abraham Simms (220) the oldest child of Paris L. and Margaret Turnbo Simms, was born Oct. 18, 1841; died in July 1895. He served four years in the Confederate Army, was a leading lawyer in Lawrenceburg and for twenty years, was County Judge. He married Keturah A. Drake, July 20, 1863 and had 13 children:

V-248. James Alonzo (Lon) Simms, born in 1864; married Mamie Joiner of Lawrenceburg; went to Oklahoma where he was killed while on police duty in Ardmore.
V-249. Franklin L. Simms, born in 1866; married Maggie Killen of Rogersville, Ala.
V-250. Paris E. Simms, born in 1867; died in his youth.
V-251. Margaret A. Simms, born in 1869; died in infancy.
V-252. Joel B. Simms, born in 1871; married Lee Tracy of Lawrence County and was shot and killed by her accidentally, at their home in Dallas, Tex.
V-253. Ella 0. Simms, born in 1873; married W. L. Paisley of Lawrenceburg.
V-254. Elizabeth Simms, born in 1875; married Richard Love and had one child.
V-255. Virginia F. Simms, born in 1877; married Looney B. White, a Lawrenceburg lawyer.
V-256. Lindsey J. Simms, born in 1879; died unmarried.
V-257. Martha F. Simms, born in 1882; married Joseph F. Kraus of Lawrenceburg.
V-258. Mamie C. Simms, born in 1883; married Van L. Livingood; lived in Dallas, Tex.
V-259. Paris Wilsie Simms, born in 1884; died unmarried.
V-260. Fannie B. Simms, born in 1885; married C. Lee Drake; lived in Oklahoma City.

Following the death of his first wife James A. Simms married Margaret Sallie Anderson and had three children, making a total of 16:

V-261. Alice Kennedy Simms, born in 1887; married Herschel Brewer of Lawrenceburg and had four children.
V-262. Nettie M. Simms, born in 1889-no record.
V-263. Eugene A. Simms, born in 1891; married Lois Cannon of Lawrenceburg and had three children.

 

IV-221. Andrew Francis Simms (221), the second son of Paris L. and Margaret Turnbo Simms was born Jan. 28, 1843; died July 26, 1889. He married Martha Ann Bryan in Oct. 1887. She died March 9, 1909. Children:

V-264. Rev. Paris Marion Simms, born May 2, 1869. He was educated at Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tenn., where he received a Ph.D. degree in 1907. He was a Presbyterian minister in Nebraska for many years and was for sixteen consecutive years a Chautauqua lecturer. He was the author of several religious books and was noted for having one of the most complete collections of the different versions of the Bible. He did much work on the history of our family and I am in debted to him for most of the information on the Abraham Simms family as well as for copies of the old letters in regard to family history. He married Edna Earl Johnson at Lewisburg, Tenn., June 8, 1893. Children:

VI-265. Burney Gilmore Simms, born April 1, 1894; married Merle Brown at Vinton, Neb., May 21, 1918. He lives at Sacramento, Calif., where he is a hardware merchant. Children:

VII-266. Virginia Simms.
VII-267. Frank Brown Simms.
VII-268. Thomas Johnson Simms.
VII-269. Paris Marion Simms, Jr., born May 2, 1908; a Presbyterian minister and for a number of years Executive Secretary of of the Nebraska Christian Endeavor Union.

V-270. Mary Ellen Simms, born Jan. 8, 1871; married William A: Gable of Lawrence County, Sept. 19, 1888; lived in Davis, Okla. Children:

VI- Thomas, Will, Lois, Floyd Simms, Raymond, and Mary Gable.

V-271. Margaret Ada Simms, born Jan. 7, 1873; married Robert Lock Carroll of Lawrence County, May 2, 1888. They moved to Texas where he died in 1928. Children:

VI-Walter, Audie May, Robert, Martha and Thomas Carroll.

V-272. Thomas Brown Simms, born in 1875, was educated at Cumberland University where he received a Ph.D. Degree; Presbyterian minister and Dean of the Lebanon College and Conservatory, 1903-1908. He married Theresa Jeanne Roberts, Aug. 7, 1907. Children:

VI-273. Dorothy Simms, born Feb. 5, 1909.
VI-274. John B. Simms; died in infancy.
VI-275. Willie Simms; died in infancy.

 

IV-225. Edmond Clayborne Simms (225), the fourth son and sixth child of Paris L. and Margaret Turnbo Simms was born Oct. 14, 1849. He was a farmer in Lawrence County and in Texas, where he moved to, about 1900. He lived at Valley Mills, Tex., in his later years. See his letter in regard to Sims Family History in Chapter Two. He married Mary E. Bryan, May 14, 1872. She died in 1873 and he married Sarah F. Carroll Jan. 8, 1874. Children:

V-276. Paris Lindsey Simms, born Oct. 7, 1874; married and lived in Texas.
V-277. Mary Stribling Simms, born June 19, 1876; died Nov. 2, 1881.
V-278. Margaret T. Simms, born Dec. 11, 1877; married Will Kelley in November 1897; died in August 1900.
V-279. John A. Simms, born Aug. 1, 1879; died Nov. 6, 1997.
V-280. James G. Simms, born April 13, l881-no record.
V-281. Lillie Belle Simms, born July 4, 1883; married Robert Stovall in November 1900 and had 17 children.
V-282. William E. Simms, born Jan. 16, 1885; died in June 1901.
V-283. Emma G. Simms, born April 10, 1888; died June 1901.

After the death of his wife, Sarah Carroll Simms, E. C. Simms married Laura T. Thornton, Dec. 3, 1896 and they had one child that died in infancy.

Footnote: Roman Numerals indicate generation. Figures are Sims identification numbers.

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